[Gllug] plurals

[Pete Ryland]

On Fri, Jun 20, 2003 at 11:33:43AM +0100, Dylan wrote:
> On Thursday 19 June 2003 20:53, Jack Bertram wrote:
> > * Pete Ryland <pdr at pdr.cx> [030619 20:26]:
> > > Nowadays, the subjunctive form is the same as the past, so we would now
> > > write:
> > >
> > > If he delighted in him, let him deliver him.
> > >
> > > Just like:
> > >
> > > If I was going to the shops, I'd bring you back some chocolate.
> >
> > This isn't a subjunctive.
> 
> Well, it depends how you say it. With _IF_ attracting primary stress, it
> has hypothetical force, OTOH with _WAS_ attracting primary stress it has
> negative force, so to that extent subjunctive resides in a stress pattern
> more than in a verbal conjugation rule.

The mood in use is the subjunctive.  I'll grant you that when spoken the
connotations of the sentence can be altered through stress, but this doesn't
change the mood of the sentence.

> Just to be fair - I should mention that I am a theoretical linguist
> specialising in English syntax and morphology. Sorry.

Do you have something you can look this up in then?

Pete

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